


Rain

by Requestedgems



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Connor, Angst, Conflicted Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is Bad at Feelings, Connor Deserves Happiness, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Gunshots, Hank Anderson connecting the dots, Hank Anderson is Bad at Feelings, Hank Being Awesome, Hank knowsss, Hank sees everything, Hank tells connor to go after his dreams (you), Inspired by Detroit: Become Human, Lots of rain, Mentions of Blood, Mystery, OC opens up, POV Connor, POV Hank Anderson, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, Pre-Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Connor, Pure Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Rain, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, a bit of violence but just for a brief moment in the second part, a small bit of angst in the first chapter, but he tries, cause i am, connor finally figures you out, gun - Freeform, haha - Freeform, hank is hilarious, hinted at but not told, human reader, man these sub plots, more to come - Freeform, okay i'm done now, reader finally opens up, reader's been through some things, ready for a multi part fic that will probably take a while before I upload again?, sub plots, thanks for reading, wOOW, you find out what happened to you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-06-21 00:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15545976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Requestedgems/pseuds/Requestedgems
Summary: Connor couldn't figure you out and that bothered him, more than he was willing to admit. Usually, he didn't care whether he was close to someone or not, but then, they weren't you and they weren't working with him all the time. Every time you were near, he would ache to hear you open up to him, to give a few details of your personal life that he knew nothing about, but you gave away nothing - nothing - and he failed to compute why. Now, there was only one thing to do. He would do whatever he had to to get to know you - that was his mission and he always completed his mission.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The inspiration for this? Literally driving through torrential rain. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

The pitter patter of the heavy raindrops hitting the pavement was like music to your ears as you waited under the awning of your house before you left for work. You reached out and let the drops cool your skin. The weather forecast included warm days; unseasonably warm days that consisted of melting ice and snow and road flooding. Not the prettiest or most glamorous, but a bit of an adventure to drive through and that it made it even more fun.

The rain was a welcome companion for you, a sort of home you could feel in every drop on the ground, on every streak of water crawling down your windows, on every blob that crashed into your face as it fell. You breathed in before starting a countdown in your head, _3….2….1….Go!_ and suddenly you were off, a giggling mess as you rushed to pry your car door open before the rain could permeate the thin material of your windbreaker. Throwing yourself into the safety of your vehicle - a smile still lingering on your face - you sat and listened to the cacophony of raindrops pound on the roof of your metal transport. 

You shook the water off your clothes like a dog shaking the mud off of its coat. Letting out a sigh, you felt around the ignition with your key before it sank into its spot with a slight dip. Turning it all the way forward, you felt your car rumble to life beneath you, a few beeps being emitted in the process. You watched the dashboard light up with a few blinks and then a steady stream of faint light, the windshield fogging up with your warm exhales against the coolness of the car. 

With a tap of the finger, you heard the fan kick on in an attempt to warm the glass enough to get the condensation to disappear. You rubbed your balmy hands together to give them a chance to get fully heated before you placed them on the cold steering wheel and drove yourself to work through the torrential downpour.

                                                                    ♢♢♢

“All this damn rain is giving me a headache. I can’t even let Sumo out of the house without him bringing back a fucking lake.” Hank sat nursing a cup of lukewarm coffee and trying to expel his frustrations with the sky, with you, the least helpful person to talk to. So instead of turning the conversation to your pluviophile like habits, you turned it to your favorite furball.

You loved his little - or not so little - dog. That little ball of fur always managed to bring a smile to your face no matter what you were going through. He would come and lick your face eagerly or jump on your leg until you would sink down to a height in which he could. A small smile spread on your face thinking of your special guy.

“How is my handsome man doing?” You grinned plopping into your chair, booting up your computer in the process.

“Spoiled as ever, especially since he has Connor around all the time.” He brought his gaze up to the android absentmindedly throwing a quarter between his hands. The coin managed to cast a glint everytime the fluorescent lights caught it, visible through your peripheral vision and distracting. 

You looked up to see Connor’s LED a bright shade of yellow as his eyes lingered on the linoleum tile underneath him, the quarter whizzing through the air as it sank into the palm of his left hand. He tucked it into his pocket and moved to look back at Hank as he realized he had quickly become a focus of your conversation.

 

“Sorry, Lieutenant, I was thinking.” He blinked and looked at you, giving you the smallest resemblance of a smile that he could manage as his LED returned to blue. Connor was trying, you’d give him that.

“No shit,” Hank grumbled, standing and sauntering his way over to the break room. “I’ll grab you a cup.” He titled his own paper cup and gave it a slight wave.

“Thanks.” You moved your attention on Connor whose eyes were already on you, a pleasant expression on his face. You and Connor had become good friends in the short time you’ve worked at the department, a nice reprieve from dealing with the likes of the other officers. Connor was kind and gentle yet determined and focused, you admired his work ethic as he tirelessly tracked down the purp and apprehended him with little difficulty. How such a benevolent face was capable of such vigor and robustness shocked you, but in a good way. It was good to see the contrasting qualities being balanced.

“How are you doing, Connor?” You shook your hair a bit, a few droplets ringing down from the crown of your hair. He watched these drops with interest before responding to you.

“I’m fine. How are you, Officer (y/l/n)?” He looked back at your eyes, the moment of distraction over.

“Great. The rain is fun to drive in.” You smiled as you clicked on a few files on your computer bring them closer to your attention. Connor’s LED swam to yellow again and a frown took to his face.

“I don’t understand, isn’t it hazardous? I’m not sure how something like that can be entertaining for you.” A grin crept its way to the corner of your mouth as you found his lack of understanding funny and a little bit adorable. You looked over the top of your monitor to find him looking at you expectantly.

“Well, it’s fun because you can watch the pools of water fly away from your wheels like you’re parting the red sea. It’s kind of like when you’re a kid and you jump into all the puddles while walking with your parents to the car because you're fascinated with the way it shoots away from you and…” The words died on your lips as you saw Connor’s face contort in a deeper state of confusion.

Of course, he had no idea about the kind of things like a childhood. The rambling you were doing was essentially pointless, he’d never experienced any types of those things first hand. You stopped trying to explain it and instead settled for a more simple response.

“I just enjoy it, that’s all.” Your eyes moved back to scanning over a report filed a few days ago, adding your own information to it. Little did you know, Connor wanted to hear you speak of your childhood memories more. He had only known the little details that you let slip in your conversations with Lieutenant Anderson, but when it came to speaking with him, your responses were more withdrawn and simple, not as complex as he was sure your mind was. 

He wanted to be able to communicate with you more effectively and get more interesting answers. The way your eyes narrowed in concentration, the way you smiled when Lieutenant Anderson made what he came to know as a “snarky” comment, the ways your eyes lit up when explaining something that you found captivating, all proved to him that there were more going on your mind then what you verbally conveyed. If only he could find some way for you to open up to him, to trust that he was going to understand and that you could tell him anything your heart desired, to trust that he would never look at you any differently. 

Connor had been running different ways he could accomplish his mission and all involved spending more time with you, preferably without Lieutenant Anderson. He would get to know more about your background and the kind of things you enjoyed, then maybe you would open up to him at some point. The same logic and reasoning helped when trying to figure out the Lieutenant, plus it would help strengthen the “bond” within your group. 

It was decided.

“Here you are, a steaming cup of bland flavors and unmet expectations.” A giggle left your mouth as you nodded your head in appreciation.

“Seems like you’re a big fan of such high-grade coffee.” You tipped your cup up.

“Oh shut up.” He smirked, sinking down in his seat. You looked over to see that little LED flash yellow for the third time in the time you’d been in the office of the DPD. Connor didn’t say anything for a minute, his eyes fluttered shut and it worried you that there might be something amiss. Hank didn’t hear a response and looked over to you, only to find you concentrating on the android in the chair. He too saw the behavior of Connor and groaned before the android had a chance to speak.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I just sat down for -”

“Lieutenant Anderson, I’ve just got a report of a suspected deviant. We should go take a look.” He blinked back at him - his LED becoming blue again - as he didn’t hear the words that he uttered before. Connor only heard your laughter and saw your eyes crinkle on the corners and that was enough for the LED to blink yellow before reverting back to the familiar blue hue it normally held. He blinked once more before returning his focus back to Lieutenant Anderson, but his jaded blue eyes were already looking at him, tapering in thought. He saw that tiny circle on his forehead flash yellow for a split second.

“Everything alright, Connor?” Connor head cocked to the side and scrunched his forehead slightly.

“Everything is fine, Lieutenant.” He looked concerned but Hank knew better. He was sure he saw that little light wink into yellow. 

Meanwhile, you had watched the whole exchange go down as your laughter died. They looked as if they were sizing each other up and if you hadn’t known the two, you might have thought that they were butting heads. You threw your jacket over your shoulders, slinging your arms through the sleeves. Letting out a light sigh and picked up your keys. “Well, if you two are done staring at each other, I believe that we have a crime scene to investigate.”

~~ Software Instability ^ ~~

                                                                     ♢♢♢

The ground was sopping wet and the smell of rain clouded all your senses as you hopped out of your car. The water droplets falling from the sky had lessened in their frequency but hadn’t stopped completely, creating a weirdly eerie mood. Your feet squished under the wet gravel as you made your way towards the house in front of you. 

“Afternoon, Officer.” A detective said to you as you nodded and ducked underneath the yellow police tape.

“Afternoon.” You took in the scene in front of you, a broken glass window and some spatters of blue on its shards leaving a trail leading towards the back of the house. The wet grass scrunched underneath your feet as you made your way around to the back of the house, following the blue drops. When you arrived at the back of the home, the little bits of blue could no longer be found, the rain washed the trail away.

You stood at a loss. There could only be two possible places of where this android could be; inside this house or out on the streets somewhere. You didn’t think it would harm anyone without good reason, none of these androids did. Every case you had been on involved abuse, stress, or some sort of mistreatment that had resulted in such a dramatic and significant outburst of emotions. Just as humans had reasons behind their actions, so did deviants, in fact, you thought what they went through was worse. They endured for so long and what happened to them had to be astronomically terrible for a sudden break to even occur. They are strong, stronger than the will of most humans before they fall apart.

But all this rambling wouldn’t solve the problem staring you dead in your face. Connor and Hank hadn’t arrived yet and it was dark enough outside and in the house that nothing would be completely visible to you when you entered. If you tried tracking the android, you’d be walking aimlessly with nothing to indicate you were getting any warmer. The longer you waited, the further away the deviant could be and the longer it would take to track them down.

You were going in.

The wind picked up, throwing your hair around and shaking the dead tree on the lawn. As you moved closer to the back door, the wood creaked underneath your feet. Mentally, you cursed, they would definitely know someone was here now. Slipping the gun out of the waistband of your pants, you held it tautly in your hand, adjusting your grip as you pressed your ear to the door. 

Nothing, dead silent. 

You tried your luck with the handle, it turned but you weren’t positive nothing was attached to it. Sliding over to the window, you peaked through the torn up blinds. Dust sparkled through the air and it looked well abandoned, but most importantly, you didn’t find any evidence of something attached to the doorknob. You moved back over to the older wooden door, gave it a couple of good shoves with your shoulder and nearly fell to the ground as it broke free of the hinges.

Planting your foot, you moved your handgun into the first corner you saw. Another spew of dust flew up as you disturbed its peace, blocking your full view of the place. You utter some words of warning into the home but you heard fast footsteps on the grass behind you. Slipping behind the door, you wait for the people to come up the porch. Once you heard the wood creak, you sprung out from your hiding spot, the muzzle of your handgun pointed at the dead center of the stranger’s forehead.

“Officer (y/l/n)!” His eyes widened as he took in the firearm pointed in his direction and the startling dark look your eyes slid into. “It’s me, Connor.” His tone slipped into a softer, gentler version, hands in the air in a show of peace.

Connor ran all the way around because he knew you were here already and he did not want you to be alone. He wanted to be with you when you went into the house, to accompany you, in case something were to go wrong. He wanted to be able to have his part to play in fate should the worst come to pass. He wanted to be by your side more than he knew he should. He wanted all these things, but that was not typical behavior. Connor the machine should not want things.

It took you exactly two blinks before you corrected the aim of your weapon and another two before your brain registered that this was not your enemy. Tightening your jaw, you nodded and stepped back enough to let him in. 

Connor’s LED flared red as he saw your current state. Something was definitely wrong; he never witnessed this darkness in your eyes that he had just seen nor how fast your heart was beating. Your pulse still was not under control and your eyes remained on the wood floor in the time you had lowered your weapon.

Connor was not equipped with the knowledge of comforting people, but looking at you created a dull ache in his chest, a sudden thirst to know anyway possibility that would help. The little consolation Lieutenant Anderson had shown him had consisted on a small touch on the back and a gentle emotion coming over his greyish blue orbs. Connor was not convinced that doing something like that would help but he was willing to try, willing to do anything for that matter.

His fingers stretched out slowly, each reaching out on their own accord, begging to come in contact with your jacket. He hoped they would give you some relief, hoped that some pressure might bring you back to the now and not wherever your mind flew too. Just as the tip of his index finger came in contact with the micro polyester of your windbreaker, Lieutenant Anderson waltzed his way up the doorsteps.

“Connor, what did I tell you about -” Hank saw Connor’s reach and how your head was still down, a gun loosely held in your palm. Connor never stopped looking at you but his LED switched to yellow upon hearing the Lieutenant speak. “Jesus Christ, is everything okay?” 

Hank’s raspy voice snapped you out of your daze as you quickly holstered your weapon and snapped your eyes up from the ground. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” You shook the memory away from your vision and stepped a few feet back, unknowingly, away from Connor’s attempt at solace. “Let’s go check the house.”

~~ Software instability ^^ ~~

                                                                    ♢♢♢

Connor could only concentrate part of the way on the rA9s etched into the wall or the knife coated with blue blood on the table, he was too concerned about you. Since the incident at the door, you had kept to yourself; hugging your arms, moving away from the space he or Lieutenant Anderson occupied, staring off into space. It was strange behavior, behavior he did not recognize from you. 

“Well, did you find anything, Connor?” Lieutenant Anderson stepped in his line of sight, momentarily blocking his view of you. His light blinked blue as he thought back to all the evidence he collected; analysis of the blue blood (in his mouth much to Lieutenant Anderson’s dismay), the reconstruction of the broken chairs and the knife to know that the android escaped through the window, the convict’s body that would most likely be in the closet door right behind where you were standing.

You. His heartbeat sped up a bit at the knowledge you were close and he still was unable to fix your current condition. He could not get a clear sight of you now, but he was sure your eyes were on him.

“Yes. I believe the victim’s body is in the closet behind Officer (y/l/n) and the deviant has escaped through the window.” He made a glance at the shards laying on the floor. “It seems they were attacked.”

Connor rose to his feet and you looked back down, squeezing your arms tighter and shifting your weight to your other foot. In that brief moment, the light trickling in from the open window glinted off a small line strung behind the back of your feet. Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked for the beginning and end of this small line, but it wasn’t just a line, it was a piece of string, a piece of string held in an oddly perfect spot.

As you turned your head a little more, the device became clear. It was a trip mine and the floorboards creaking meant that Connor was coming over to open the closet, right into the path of an explosive, an explosive that would take down this whole house and the people inside with it. It only took you a split second to turn on your heel, only a split second to move away from the little ribbon, only a split second to look at him in fear.

“Connor, no!” You threw your body into him, your arms wrapping around his waist, and pulling back as hard as you could. His leg was suspended in mid-air as your weight around his middle prevented him from completing his step. His LED switched immediately to red by the tone of your voice and your actions.

His arms hung aloft by his side while you attached yourself to his back, gripping it with deadly force. “Officer (y/l/n), what’s wrong? Does the fact that there’s a body in the closet disturb you?” He tried to look down on you but you were wrapped at such an awkward angle, he couldn’t make out your face.

“No, there - there was a trip mine. You almost stepped on a trip mine.” You breathed out, slowing removing your arms from his body. Your heart was still racing a thousand miles a minute, but now the hard part was over. “Be careful where you step.” Your feet moved a few lengths away and you watched as Connor took a step back, his foot falling where it had previously been. He caught the glint of it now, but previously, he had not been aware of such a device in the vicinity. He made a mistake, partly due to not fully checking the surroundings, and party due to his constant worry for your health. Connor does not make mistakes.

~~ Software Instability ^^^ ~~

You were scared. You knew the whole mission could have been blown if that mine had detonated, but more importantly, you were worried it could kill Connor. That it could kill the android who claimed to be just a machine, but you knew was much more than what he thought of himself. He felt things, he felt emotion even if he didn’t want to admit it. You’d seen that LED turn to yellow and red depending on his mood, you’d seen his eyes change from passive to filled with emotion, you’d seen his body language change. To you, he was as alive as you or Hank. 

Hank watched the whole scene go down with a face of disbelief. You were keeping your distance, maintaining a bit of space from the focal point of the investigation, but he’d never seen you flip so quickly. He was thankful that you had stopped Connor from blowing the house and everything in it, but he also saw your concern. He saw Connor’s concern for you as well. Whatever was going on, it certainly left him speechless. He watched you untangle yourselves and move to your personal spheres.  _ Oh boy. More mushy disgusting hormones. _

                                                                   ♢♢♢

The tension in the air diffused upon bringing the investigation to a close. The deviant was nowhere to be found but from the trip mine sitting in the house, it was safe to assume they were afraid and had an extensive knowledge of military tactics, most likely due to the ex-military officer dead in the closet. When he had the opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge, you had no idea. 

The three of you walked out of the house and into the howling wind and rain. Your windbreaker could only do so much to protect you against the freezing water droplets, they punctured your skin, cold seeping into your bones and sending chills down your spine. Gritting your teeth, you pushed towards your car.

“Damn, who pissed off mother nature?” Hank shivered too and huddled over an attempt to bring his coat over his neck. His silver hair could only do so much to protect his exposed skin and sometimes it barely did that much.

You kept your mouth closed for fear that if you tried to say something, your teeth would chatter and interrupt your speech, but a smile crept onto your face. Connor watched with curiosity as your face lit up following Lieutenant Anderson’s comment and he felt his thirium pump speed up, a slight pounding behind his chest. A small smile mirroring your own took shape on his face, painting it in a warm, calm light despite the raging storm. However, he noticed the slight movements of your jaw as your teeth moved in order to bring some heat to your face. 

An idea popped into his mechanical little brain.

You fished your keys out of your pocket with a satisfying jingle and went to put them into the lock to open your car door, but Connor beat you to it, his hand closing over yours. His chest was pressing into your back gently and if you turned your head, your cheek would touch his chin. Your heart slightly sped up.

“Connor, what are you doing?” You tried to turn to look at him but he was already putting his plan in motion.

“Lieutenant, would you mind if I escorted Officer (y/l/n) home? She doesn’t seem as if she’s in an adequate state to drive.” His brown eyes looked calm and concerned, but Hank knew better.

Hank opened his car door and draped an arm over it. “Bold words, coming from you. Have you even asked if she wanted any help getting home?” His arm gestured towards you. He sighed before stooping to lower himself into his Oldsmobile. “If she doesn’t oppose it, then do whatever.” He wasn’t about to get in the way of whatever Connor had in mind, that was one stubborn android.

Connor looked down at you, stepping back a bit so he could get an accurate reading of your face. “Would you mind if I accompanied you home?”

You didn’t know how to respond. You’d never seen Connor do something like this nor get this close to you without bringing something with him; a folder, a cup of coffee, a piece of evidence -  this was completely out of the ordinary. You hoped he was feeling alright but looking at his warm brown eyes boring into yours, waiting for an answer, made you rethink your original thesis. Nothing seemed to be wrong with him, in fact, he had been acting fine during the whole day, you were the one exhibiting unordinary behavior. You almost shot him, Connor, the android you’ve known for months now.

Connor watched all the emotions you were feeling flicker across your face and something in the pit of his stomach fell. Of course, you would not feel comfortable with him, you barely knew anything about each other. His LED moved to yellow and he began to take a step back, but then he saw your face land in a small smirk.

“Sure, why not?” You spoke out. The LED moved back to blue and he tried to refrain himself from jumping up and down, so he compromised with a small grin. Moving his hand around, he gently slid the keys out of your hand and unlocked the car.

~~ Software Instability ^^^^ ~~

You moved to the other side, giving Hank a small wave to let him know he could head for home and plopped yourself into the plush seats of your car. As soon as you sat, you felt a weight on your lap. Your hands brushed over the cotton fibers of Connor’s jacket, the blue triangle glowing in the upper right-hand corner.

Holding the jacket up a bit, you looked over at him as he put the key into the ignition. “Connor, why are you giving me your jacket?”

He put the car into drive and turned in the seat to look behind him, but his eyes stopped on you, a wholehearted look in his brown orbs. “You’re teeth are still chattering. Please, use it to get warm, at least until I get the heat on.”

That was the second time you’d been at a loss of words while dealing with Connor, but your heart warmed at the sight of how genuine Connor was being. You’re not saying that you agreed with him giving up his coat so willingly, but you certainly appreciated it. Letting your fingers ball around it, you pulled the jacket up so it covered your chest, thankful for the coverage to allow you to warm up.

Connor felt a surge of warmth through his veins as he saw you move the jacket to a more comfortable position through the corner of his eye. At least, you trusted him enough to accept his kindness, it was not a lot, but it was a start and that was all he needed. He kicked up the speed on the windshield wipers before backing up and turning into the street. The rain droplets struck the car with a loud thud, spreading out in all directions. Connor now wondered if he would finally understand what you meant by your joy of driving in the rain.

~~ Software Instability ^^^^^ ~~

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor discovers something about you that doesn't add up while you, Connor, and Hank get a lead on the deviant and move to intercept. (plus some fluffy moments cause why not?)

“Here, take your shoes off at the door.” The door to your place beeped as you typed in the code, 5961, and gives with a soft click. Connor followed closely, his LED a quizzical yellow as he was excited to regard the way you decided to decorate your apartment. He has read that the way humans furnish their living space says a lot of the character of a person, what they like and dislike, who they are. It feels to him as having the knowledge of a telepath and it is thrilling.

He walks with small, short steps as if he is a child being introduced to a room full of strangers. He is not tense, actually quick relaxed, ambling into your kitchen without a hint of stiffness. His eyes fall onto your living room and he will not lie in the fact that he is a bit disappointed. Your living room and its decorum are quite muted.

There is a large dominance of the color guy with small accents of white and black here and there. The only bit of color the living space holds is your blue mug sitting on the table. His eyes take in the other parts of your place that are visible; a medium sized flat screen, a bookshelf that is partially full, and a painting on the wall, it is in black and white of course, but there is the slight tint of gold if you look close enough. It is not all what he expected from you, from someone with so much vibrancy about them, with so much light.

You turned to find him looking about the place with a faint crease on his forehead and his head minutely slanted to the right. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was thinking, why was it so bare? Why didn’t you have more things? Why is it so bleak? You would know, you’ve asked yourself the same thing and the answer tended to change every time your brain tried to create a response.

“Is there anything I can get you?” You questioned, leaning on the counter. You tried to draw him out of those thoughts.

His LED blinked a bit before he was able to turn and look over his shoulder, giving a tiny smile. “No, Officer (y/l/n), I’m fine.” He looked at the ceiling, the light fixtures (nothing special), and the smooth paint of the walls. “I was just observing your apartment.”

You chuckled as you moved to sit on the sofa, your keys jangling as they hit the island’s countertop as if that wasn’t obvious. “Well do tell, how’s the view?” Spinning a bit, you raised your arm, gesturing to everything in the room.

He took a minute to think, his eyes never leaving yours. “I think that the tones are a bit muted, I’d have expected more color from you.” He nodded his head forward as he said the last part, trying to convey his feelings gently.

You weren’t disappointed nor hurt by his statement, it was the truth. You wanted your apartment to be that way, it made redecorating that much easier. If you found pieces that were of a monotone persuasion, you could add in accent colors and different colored throws without making a big hassle about it. Plus, it was great for feeling aesthetically pleasing.

  
“I’ll take it.” Your feet guided you to the bookshelf and you plucked a volume from the many on that line. You hadn’t been able to get out to the bookstore yet, but you were thrilled to see what kind of stories the local bookstore would hold.

“If it’s not too much to ask, why so monotone?” Connor’s voice rang through the stillness of the apartment, its pitch bouncing off the walls a bit. You cradled the book in your hands before moving to sit on the sofa, falling down with a small rush of air expelling from the cushions. Letting your fingers graze over the tops of the pages, you met his widened eyes, his previous question lingering on them.

“It makes redecorating easier.” You hummed. It was the truth, well, partially.

“Do you part take in that often?” He moved a bit closer, opting for the loveseat to your right.

You chuckled before an uh slipped out. “Not, really.” Your eyes glanced around you as if the answer would be written on the coffee table. “Just sometimes,” your hands played with your book cover. “Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery.”

Sighing, you found him watching you with a high level of interest. It was a little startling. You have never seen him so intent on what you’ve said before, it wasn’t even that interesting. His LED was whirling, however, the only object indicating the words you had said had hit their mark. What he was thinking so hard about, you had no idea, but you knew this was strange behavior, even for him.

“I’m not sure I understand. You said you don’t redecorate often and then you proceeded to say that sometimes you need a change of scenery, doesn’t that mean that you do alter what you find attractive in your living space often?” He did that head tilt thing again.

“Well, if often is about once a year, then yes,” you nodded setting your book down. “I do it often.” You stood and proceeded into the kitchen and prepared to cook your close to growling stomach something to eat. The sound of pots and pans clicking against each other was the only thing that filled the silence of the apartment for a beat and then you heard Connor’s voice fairly close.

“Officer (y/l/n), I know a substantial amount of recipes. Would you like me to recreate one for you?” His voice was closer, you could hear his socks on the wood flooring, moving now within an arm's reach.

“No, that’s alright Connor. I’ll manage.” You slid over to the fridge, grabbing a few items before closing the door and turning back to the pots on the stove. Your seasonings at the ready you prepared a meal and let the water in the small pot coming to a boil, watching the tiny bubbles rise to the surface of the water.

Connor was at a loss. It seemed in the time here, he had failed to attain any source of information that would be helpful in his mission to get to know you. All of the questions he asked were answered with a vague response, one that prompted more than five more inquiries to take the place of the one before. Perhaps, you were a much more complex person than what he initially expected.

There was this quality, one he could not pinpoint, but one that drew him to you even more. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and the only way he could do that was by asking deeper questions. He would figure you out, even if it killed him.

“Officer (y/l/n), can I ask you a personal question?” He leaned onto the island and you turned to see those warm brown eyes lingering on yours. Here we go. Whenever he asked a “personal question” Hank had returned either fuming or with a pleasant attitude, which one would it be today?

“Sure, Connor.” You crossed your arms over your chest, leaning back into the counter behind you.

“What happened at the house, today?” He tried to read your reaction, in case he might have pushed too far, but your expression remained neutral, enough that prompted him to continue with his follow up. “You had this look in your eyes, one I’ve never seen.” _I was worried about you._

Your eyes dropped and your posture changed a bit. It went from relaxed and loose to standing up straight and a bit rigged. Connor knew he just touched on something you were not comfortable speaking about, Lieutenant Anderson would display similar reactions. He was getting ready to back peddle but you started talking.

“I…” You turned, flipping the eye of the stove off so the water wouldn’t boil over. You sighed. “I apologize. That wasn’t like me at all, I don’t know what happened, I just - I just reacted, I know that probably frightened you.” You dumped the pasta into the water and turned the eye back on, adding a pinch of salt. “I didn’t mean to get like that, it’s just - nevermind.” You let the corner of your mouth tilt up a little before bringing it back down.

“It won’t happen again.” You nodded at him, looking at him directly in the eyes.

Connor was not sure what he was more afraid of; the fact that you might never open up to him or the fact that there was a part of you hidden so deep inside you were scared to let come to light. He was well aware of the fact that you did not have full confidence in him, but the hesitation that laced your voice meant he was getting somewhere and he would keep going, keep pushing till you opened up to him. He wanted you to trust him, he wanted it more than anything.

For now, he watched you throw together a quick and easy chicken alfredo.

♢♢♢

You had insisted that he stay and Connor took pleasure in the fact that he could conversate with you on many different topics. He had a hunch it might be as a result of all the books you spent your time reading, but he was not one hundred percent sure.

Eventually, the both of you made your way to the couch, sitting next to each other, nearly touching. Connor watched you flick through the television in an attempt to find something that would peak your interest. He was not watching the screen, he was watching you. In your concentration, your forehead furrowed, eyes wide open, trying to capture everything so your brain could keep up with the information it received.

“Is everything alright, Connor?” Your eyes never left the screen. You must have noticed him watching you so intently.

He flushed a light blue, somewhat embarrassed you had noticed so quickly. “Everything is fine, Officer.” Smiling a bit, he moved his eyes to the screen.

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^~~

♢♢♢

It did not take you long before you were fast asleep, your head lolling to the side. Connor was still caught up in the movie you had chosen, a fast-paced action thriller, Equalizer, before he noticed your slumbered state. Your head easily slid over to your shoulder and the touch of it had rather startled him.

“Officer (y/l/n)?” He said, moving his attention from the television to the weight of your cheek upon his shoulder. Upon taking in your sleeping state, he was struck again at how fascinating you were. Your face was a mask of calm and peace, very different from that of the previous night. The very fact that when humans slept it wiped all of the emotional stress and worry on their face and made them look similar to what he would compare to an angel still shocked him. However, there were noticeable differences between your facial expression and Lieutenant Anderson’s. You were soft and delicate, a beautiful culmination of features, an angel in the literal sense and Lieutenant Anderson was relaxed, but still tense even when resting, a sort of strain that his face still held, like a type of emotional weight he could not escape even when he dreamed.

Connor had no idea what dreaming was like, the closest thing he had was when he would meet and talk with Amanda in his head. It was not a dream but he was not conscious of what was happening around him, similar, he would like to think, to the action of dreaming. He wondered what his dreams might be filled with; a list of never-ending ones and zeros, playback of what he saw earlier in the day, or maybe what he found pleasing to the eye, his most favorite moments. Your soft breaths drew him back into the now, the exhales gently moving the fabric of his jacket, pressing it further to his shoulder.

  
He knew that you had to either be tired enough or comfortable enough to fall asleep while he was there next to you, but he liked to think it was the latter, hoped it was the latter. His fingers reached out to brush a strand of hair that had fallen over your face back behind your ear, just as he had seen the people on the television do. He did not completely understand why it was such a soft, touching gesture when observing it on the screen, but doing it now, he understood its gentleness and intimacy. His fingertips barely brushed against the smooth skin of your cheek but it was enough to feel a connection, to feel as if he had just touched the most precious item in the world.

Smiling to himself, he located the blanket draped over the back of the couch and gave it a small tug. Using his arm that did not support your snoozing frame, he moved the blanket so it covered you completely. He was afraid to move you for the possibility he could wake you and from the little bags underneath your eyes, you were not sleeping very well to begin with.

Connor did not want to pry too much as seeing your previous reaction to his personal question, but one was lingering in the back of his mind. Why was the name under the apartment, _Larkyn Cavallion?_ That was not your name. He did not mean to discover that detail, but when you gave him the address, everything connected to it popped up, including the name of the tenant. He did not want to say anything and the fact that you had a key meant that you did, in fact, live here, but he could not help but worry over the fact that you chose to cover up your identity.

Connor hoped he could make more progress with you, he wanted to help in any way he could but you had to open up first. He hoped that him spending time with you would help you feel more comfortable, hoped that it would allow him to be worthy of whatever emotional turmoil you would confide in him about, but until that day, he would make sure you knew how much he cared for you because the simple truth was, he did care for you - a lot.

 ~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^~~ ~~[9 EVI]~~

♢♢♢

The next morning you awoke asleep on the couch and the smell of bacon drifting to your nose. Connor had generously cooked breakfast, something you hadn’t had the chance to do in years, let alone wake up to it. You dragged yourself off the couch and apologized for falling asleep on their movie watching. Connor didn’t seem to mind, a small grin took over the corner of his face as he placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of your groggy figure. 

“Do not apologize, you were tired.” Connor spoke as if he’d read your mind. He moved back and placed a glass of orange juice in front of you.

He watched you eat eagerly, waiting to see your reaction. His LED moved to yellow as he studied your facial expression.

“This is really good.” You said between reaching for your glass of orange juice. “Thank you, Connor.”

Relief pumped through his veins, “You’re welcome, Officer.” He stood and moved towards the door, slipping his shoes on.

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Where are you going?”

“I thought you might find it uncomfortable if I was in the apartment while you got dressed, I was going to stand outside the door.”

“Connor,” You deadpanned, “I’d feel even more awkward if you stood outside my door like some bodyguard. You’re welcome to watch something while I finished getting ready, it’s only going to take ten minutes, just sit on the couch.” You rose from your chair and went behind him, giving him a slight push to the sofa. “Sit,” You pressed his shoulders down, forcing him to flop on the sofa. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Connor was at a loss, that was the first time you have ever touched him in a playful manner. Maybe he was getting somewhere. His LED returned to a warm blue and a similar color bloomed on his cheeks.

♢♢♢

Connor drove the two of you to a lead on the crime scene he had received word of, a comfortable conversation filling the car. It was a long car ride, about an hour to be exact, and to be completely frank, you weren’t sure why this was under DPD’s jurisdiction any longer, but you didn’t mind spending more time with Connor. You talked about the different departments and various cases the two of you worked on.

“...there was this one android I was chasing, I had to cross a highway to get to it and it had a little girl with her. I didn’t catch her but I know what she looks like. I remember the Lieutenant was furious with me after I returned back to where we’d started.” Connor kept his eyes focused on the road but his LED went about halfway yellow.

“Hank cares about you, you know.” You looked at him.

“I am a machine, if something happened to me, there would be another machine to replace me.” His LED moved towards yellow even more.

“Connor, we don’t want another machine, we want you. The you we’ve known for a long time now, the you we trust. I know you feel like you can’t die, but to us, you are alive. If something were to happen to you, we’d take it as hard as if a human died. You should think higher of your importance to us.” You patted him on the shoulder before moving to look out the windshield.

His LED went blue.

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^ [9 EVI]~~

The conversation died as soon as the both of you laid your eyes on a large warehouse. Hank pulled up around the same time the two of you did, his expression just as confused as yours.

“What the hell?” Hank shut his car door and meandered his way over to the both of you.

“Lieutenant, I don’t understand. There are many places for a deviant to hide but I was not aware this was one of them.” Connor spoke out, his LED yellow.

“Me neither, Connor.” Hank looked over at you. “You doing alright?”

You smiled and nodded, “I just needed some sleep, that’s all.”

Hank seemed satisfied with your answer as he turned back to face the warehouse, a hard look passing over his features. “Welp, standing here doesn’t solve anything.” Pushing off the car, he started moving in the direction of the building’s door. “Let’s have a look.”

♢♢♢

It took twenty minutes of scouring the large enclosure before you found anything and even then it was a bit of fabric, nothing drastic and not enough to confirm it was the deviant you were searching for. Now, walking through the large space for the third time, you were scanning behind a bunch of crates for the sixth time when you heard Connor yell.

“Lieutenant, Officer, I believe I’ve located something.” Hank and you exchanged a glance before moving to inspect what Connor had uncovered. He was crouched over whatever he found, blocking your view. You dropped down by him, placing a hand upon his back to steady yourself.

“What’d you find?” You looked at him, but he was already looking at you, brown orbs gazing at you with something hard to pinpoint. _Surprise? Confusion?_ Either way, you removed your hand and placed it on the ground. His eyes shifted. They were still on you and once again, you were at a loss. _Bafflement? Discouragement? Disappointment?_

Hank cleared his throat, “Connor.”

Connor blinked and returned his focus to the ground. “Yes, Lieutenant?”

“What did you find?” Hank annunciated exasperatedly.

“Right,” He held up his pointer and middle fingers. “I found a trace of blue blood, I believe it is the deviant’s.”  
The air moved by your head. The sound of shattering glass echoed a few feet behind you.

“I think we found him,” Hank spoke up, drawing his gun. You drew your own but Connor had already taken off after him.

“Hank, call the department.” Your feet were already moving.

“Where are you going?”

“To help Connor!” You moved towards the direction you had last seen him, the wind whooshing by your ears. Your feet propelled you forward, faster than you ever thought possible. Connor was close behind, his jacket flapping in the wind. The deviant jumped a gate.

Connor climbed it with ease. You, on the other hand, had never climbed a gate in your life, so that was not going to work. “Connor! I’m going to work around, I’ll converge on you!” Connor paused, shocked you tagged along.

“Okay!” He dropped to the other side and you took off.

♢♢♢

It took a bit of maneuvering, a bit of tree dodging, a bit of getting scratched by low hanging branches, but eventually, you broke clear and circled around to a clearing. The grass crunched underneath your feet. You saw a man in a dark jacket following a figure in a green hoodie. That had to be them. You corrected your trajectory and ran straight for the hoodie.

Green hoodie was moving. You weren’t that far behind. Neither was Connor. You didn’t shout, it would draw too much attention, just kept running. Pumping your arms faster. Breathing harder. The world moving faster than you could process it. Green hoodie found a building along the route and ducked into it, his figure no longer visible. The two of you came to a halt. You were breathing hard, but Connor obviously showed no signs of difficulty.

“Officer, your heart rate is spiking, are you okay?” He moved a little closer, but you held up a hand.

“Connor, it’s called cardio. I’ll live.” You smiled. “Let’s go get this guy.”

You drew your gun into both of your hands, keeping it taunt with your arms. There was only one way in and you were going in gung-ho, it would be faster than trying to wait it out. Connor followed you closely, not letting you move more than a footstep away from him.

“Officer (y/l/n), I believe I should go in first.” He moved a bit in front of you, forcing you to slow down.

“Connor, I have the gun. I’d feel better if I went first.” He did not like this answer as his LED moved to a blinking yellow.

“Please, Officer, let me enter first.”

“Connor…”

“I’m an android, if I go in first, it might not be as alarmed and I can talk it down.” He looked at you with wide, pleading eyes. Why he was so nervous, you still didn’t quite understand but it was a good idea, you couldn’t deny it.

You let out a sigh, “Fine,” Connor’s LED moved to a blue and a contented grin captured his face. “But, one indication of something going wrong, I’m shooting.”

His features steeled, determination taking over his face. “Okay.”

You walked up to the door together, this time you were close on his behind. Craning his head over his shoulders, he found your eyes. “You ready?”

Nodding, you gestured for him to proceed. “You first.” Right before he threw his shoulder into the door, you put your hand on his shoulder. “I’m right behind you, Connor.”

His eyes did that thing again and a warm expression took hold of his features. Then he tore his eyes off yours and forced the door open. You heard movement, but didn’t force your way in with Connor; he needed to do this alone, no matter how much you hated it.

“Hi, I’m Connor. I’m an android sent by cyberlife.” You’d have smiled if this wasn’t such an intense situation. “I’m not here to hurt you, I want to help you.”

“You can’t help me!” The deviant’s voice rang clear to you behind the door. “No one can!” The pitch of the deviant’s voice worried you, he was obviously sensitive and unstable. Deviants react like humans do and if you were in his position, you’d be ready to start throwing things.

“I know you don’t want to believe that, but trust me, we want to help. We all want to help.” There was a pause and you could hear your heart pounding in your ears. “What’s your name?”

“Gregory.” His voice cracked.

“Gregory, we just want to talk. We know your owner was abusive, we just want to help make things right.”

“You don’t understand! You don’t understand what it’s like to be abused, to be treated like you're nothing!”

“Grego-”

“No! This ends now, maybe then you’ll know what it feels like.”

You didn’t wait any longer. Gun drawn, you moved through the doorway and right in front of Connor.

“Officer (y/l-” His LED was a furious red.

“Gregory put the weapon down.” You leveled the muzzle with his shoulder. You didn’t want to kill him but you would injure him if you had to, you would do anything to keep Connor safe. Gregory was hesitating, it was clear from the red of his LED and the way his arm was shaking, but he wasn’t calming down. That same frustrated and angry look captivated his eyes as they fell to the floor. Then they moved to you.

Everything happened in slow motion. From the way Gregory’s eyes changed, you knew without a doubt, he was going to fire that gun, but you needed to move quicker. You zeroed in on his shoulder and was about to pull the trigger when suddenly, Connor was there. He grabbed you around your waist and threw your weight to the side as a bang echoed off the walls. You weren’t sure who fired, but the fact that the android was still standing meant you had either missed or not fired at all. Connor cradled your body as you both hit the ground, the impact rattling your bones.

You didn’t have the time to question if you sustained any injuries, you needed to disable this android. Finally, aiming for the second time, you took your shot. It landed. You gave out, letting your head hit against the concrete floor. Closing your eyes, you took a couple breaths.

You felt a warm hand upon the side of his face, “Officer (y/l/n),” His voice was laced with worry and you didn’t need to open your eyes to know his mouth was turned down with a frown and his eyes were opened wide, scanning your face. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

A dull throb came from your non-dominant arm and you grunted a bit as you tried to move. He let you go a little so you could adjust your position, but he didn’t let you go all the way. His hand shifted to hold the back of your head. You pressed your arm to your side and came back with your finger covered in red. Blood.

You looked at Connor’s shoulder and saw wires and sparks and blue blood. “Oh my God, Connor, are you okay?” He looked down at the hole.

“I’m fine, Officer, I am replaceable.” He smiled at you, a gentle pressure now lingering on your neck.

“Connor, you aren’t replaceable to me. You remember what I told you earlier? You _matter._ You matter to me, do you understand me?” His figure loomed over you, your noses almost touching and his face paused in an expression of confusion and happiness.

“Officer (y/l/n), I can be replaced. You,” He smoothed a bit of your hair back. “Cannot be replaced. If you died, you could not return. Your life is more important than mine.” He cocked his head, his eyes becoming that of a puppy dog.

A warm feeling set in your stomach as you saw the way he watched you. You closed your eyes and pressed your foreheads together. “Your life is just as important to me, you reckless idiot,” you breathed out, letting the feeling of your pulse kill the pain in your arm.

Connor did not know how to receive this display, but he enjoyed having you near. His LED was a warm blue as he kept his chocolate orbs on you.

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^^ [A9 EVI]~~

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get patched up and reflect on the past you've been trying to get away from, Hank starts connecting the dots between you and Connor, and Connor finally accomplishes his mission. (angsty conflict to fluffy ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter refers to some serious issues so prepare yourselves. If you are at all triggered by this, please stop reading, do not push yourself. I want you to be healthy and feel emotionally okay and if you cannot make it through this, I completely understand and support you. You are beautiful and strong! I love you so much!

Hank came as fast as he could, swearing under his breath as he heard a gunshot and another one proceeding the first. His pace quickened. He held his hand pistol in his hand as he approached the open door, the breeze playing with it, moving it back and forth. He saw the lock was busted and his senses sharpened. He didn’t know what he would find on the other side of that door but he was ready to find out.

 

He stepped in, gun held out to find two things: You and Connor laying on the floor (together?) and the deviant laying a few feet away, struggling to get back up. Hank moved to intercept the deviant before it tried its hand at a great escape.

 

“Ah, ah, ah.” Hank’s gun was trained on the deviant’s face. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He walked over pulling him off the ground and sticking some handcuffs on him.

 

Then he moved his attention to the two of you. “Jesus,” He noticed Connor’s gaping hole in his shoulder. “Are the two of you alright?”

 

Connor turned to see Lieutenant Anderson standing behind him. “I’m fine, Lieutenant, but Officer (y/l/n) will need medical attention.” Connor gently situated you up right, careful to watch your injured arm. “She’s been shot in the arm.”

 

Just then, the sound of sirens filled the otherwise noiseless outdoors. A few cops rushed in, ready to fire, but lowered their weapons and moved to grab the suspect. Hank made his way over to you.

 

“Hey. Talk to me.” Hank kneeled by you, trying to get you to look him in the eye. When you did, a small grin took your face.

 

“I’m okay, it just hurts a bit, nothing a few Tylenol and some good medical care can’t take care of.” You made sure that answer was enough for him and continued to take a look at Connor. “Connor, on the other hand, is probably going to need some repairs.”

 

His LED blinked yellow at the mention of his name. He looked at Lieutenant Anderson, then back at you. “The repair process is quick and efficient, I should be fully restored by tomorrow.” He blinked a few times and did that head cock thing again.

 

“Good.” Hank moved to his feet. “I’m gonna go get the EMTs, they’ll probably be able to do something for you.”

 

“Lieutenant Anderson, I do not follow. I cannot be repaired by emergency medical -”

 

“Not for you. The girl.” Hank looked from Connor to you and then back to Connor.

 

“Oh.”

You laughed at his confusion and simple answer, it was cute after all. Connor watched you smile and could not help but feel his eyes light up too. Whenever you were happy, he was happy too.

 

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^^^ [A9 EVIA]~~

 

                                                                     ♢♢♢

 

The hospital lights were more bright and blinding than you last remembered, the brilliant white colors of the room bounced back and hit your eyes with no end. It took a few blinks and eventually your eyes were able to turn down its receptors enough to look around without immediately having to shut them again.

 

At least you knew where you were, it made the adjustment that much easier. Before, well, five years before, there were times where he just forced you in a car and drove. The only indication that could give you a clue as to where you were was the large billboards scattered along the interstates. You weren’t allowed to ask questions, _no, it would be like a death sentence,_ so you only stared at the window and hoped it wasn’t somewhere remote. You also hoped this transition wasn’t permanent, maybe only a couple of days.

 

One time, you’d been forced to stay in the middle of the Nevada desert for two months with no access to a phone. _Never again._

 

The machine beeping behind you gave you a perfect rhythm to think to as you stared out the window and watched the rain beat on the window with such a force, you thought shards of glass would shoot out at you. It takes you back to that day, _if it hadn’t rained, if it wasn’t for the rain…._

 

“Officer!” Connor waltzed through the door breaking off your memory. You were happy to see him, no doubt about it, but your face was still downtrodden and your eyes a bit glossy. You smiled and took a minute before you turned towards the sound of his voice.

 

The glass window betrayed your intentions as Connor saw your face in the reflection. “Officer (y/l/n), what seems to be the problem?” He stayed where he was, watching your eyes and face shift.

 

“Nothing.” You looked at him, your eyes now dazzling and upturned, the opposite from previously. Connor noted the way your hands tangled themselves together as you turned towards him. His heart sank. You still did not fully trust him. “Come here.” You patted on the bed.

 

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^^^^ [A9 EVIAN]~~

 

Connor obeyed, waddling closer like a child. He made his perch on the end of your bed. His hands hung by his sides, his face attentive, but his eyes were turned down. The LED on his temple was whizzing a sad, despondent, yellow.

 

“Connor.” You leaned forward a bit waiting for his eyes to look at you, but they didn’t, instead pointed at the linoleum. “Connor.” Your voice prodded and you moved your head in a feeble attempt to get him to look at you. Finally, you reached out to cover his smooth hand with your own. “Connor.”

 

His eyes were captivated by the placement of your hand upon his own. He was shocked, if you did not trust him, why would you make a gesture such as this? He compelled his eyes to blink, just to make sure his sensors were picking up his visual information correctly. His head moved slowly to the side as his eyes slide up to yours, slanting slightly, trying to figure you out. How could you possibly be so complicated? Your words said one thing, but you did another. A ball of walking contradictions, one he desperately wanted to solve.

 

“What happened? You were just happy a second ago.”  Your eyes squinted.

 

“I just don’t understand. You say one thing and do another, you say you’re fine when you’re clearly not. How does that help? How does that effectively communicate your emotions?” Connor watched you for a hint of a response, small head tilts, and exaggerated blinks.

 

You sighed and laughed a bit, it’s true. Humans do tend to say one thing and do another. Maybe it’s just a fault in your programming. “You’re right. We, humans, are a bit faulty when it comes to communicating how we really feel. I’ll try to be better about that.” You patted his hand. “How did your repairs go?”

 

He looked over at his shoulder as if you could see it. “They were able to repair everything to full functionality.”

 

“Good.” You leaned back, your arm splint and shoulder patches restricting your full backward movement. Air came out of your nostrils as you exhaled, your slight frustration and pain going out with it. Because you were no longer close enough, your hand slipped out of the reach of Connor’s.

 

His gears were turning on what you had mentioned earlier. He watched the white comforter with a piqued interest, then his eyes moved back to yours.

 

“Officer (y/l/n), you mentioned previously you were fine when in fact you weren’t. What is the problem?” Connor persisted, he was going to get some answers.

 

“Just remembering some things, it’s nothing to fret over. Sometimes when I think back to my past, I see things I wasn’t able to see before. I guess that’s the power of hindsight, huh?” You closed your eyes a moment, feeling your pulse start to rise. _Or the power of experiencing powerful emotions._

 

Connor believed that was only partially the truth, but he would not push. He would get his answers eventually, maybe you truly were not ready to reveal what you were thinking. In the meantime, Connor moved a bit closer, the bedding scrunching up a bit as he scooted towards the head of the bead where you lay.

 

“Officer?” Your eyes slowly pried themselves open.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I know it is not in my programming, but I wanted to say, I’m glad you are alright.”

 

His words warmed a part of your stomach, pumping its way through your veins and slowly turning your limbs to jelly. Your brain couldn’t form coherent words so you opted to say nothing, hoping the big grin on your face and your warming cheeks would suffice.

 

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [A9 DEVIAN]~~

 

It did.

 

                                                           ♢♢♢

 

Hank eventually came to visit and uttered the words, “Wow, you look like shit.” You stifled an eye roll, hoping to convey that you were happy enough that he decided to come and visit. You, however, didn’t stifle your following remarks, “Says the man who’s like 50 and barely manages to comb his hair.”

 

He didn’t like that but chuckled to cover it up. One point you, zero for Lieutenant Anderson. He spoke to you a bit about how it was going with interrogating the deviant and how it was just like a normal case, Android abuse.

 

“Geez, the fucker had been beaten down so much, it’s no wonder he rebelled. I’d go bonkers.” Hank coughed a bit and moved to sit in the chair beside you, a cup of coffee in the paper cup he was holding.

 

“Anything else, any other signs of deviancy besides being tortured and beaten?” You had to be sure of everything.

 

“Naw. It’s a class A investigation.” Hank took a sip of his roasted low quality coffee beans. “Not like we haven’t seen something like this before.”

 

You nodded your head, your thoughts drifted to that night; stumbling in the rain, dizzy from exhaustion, trying to cover your tracks in the dirt beneath the tree cover. You blinked again, attempting to clear those thoughts.

 

“Anyway, Connor seems to miss your company.” He looked right at you, waiting for a reaction he was sure he was going to find. How much you stuck to that android raised his suspicions about the nature of the relationship between you two. Hank wasn’t convinced that an android could develop a crush on a human and vise versa, but if two people could make it happen, it was you two idiots. He swirled the coffee in his cup.

 

“Oh?” You turned towards him, your eyebrows raised. “I’ve only been gone a few days.” Your fingers knotted themselves together and Hank felt he was right about his hunch.

 

Hank upped the suspense of his response by taking a drink of disappointment, letting the brown, nearly tasteless liquid run down his throat. He felt your eyes on the side of his face as you waited for the answer. _Yep, totally right._ “He keeps looking over at your desk as if you’ll appear and starts throwing that damn coin around.”

 

He could have sworn he saw your face blush. “Well, tell him I’m getting released today and that I’ll be back tomorrow.”

 

“Uh huh. Well,” Hank stood. “I hope you get better soon, kid. We really could use your brain back down at the station instead of those nimrods.”

 

“I’ll see you soon, Lieutenant.”

 

“Uh huh.” He waltzed out of the room, another drink of liquid warmed his tongue and confirmed his suspicions were true. _I always have to be the fucking wise guy._

 

                                                                ♢♢♢

 

There wasn’t anybody with when you signed yourself out of the hospital, not that you wanted there to be, right? You ambled through the oversized establishment, admiring the different colored tiles, the handprints that showed when you walked twenty-five feet, and the numbers on the rooms as you breezed past them. There was something so quiet and secluded yet spacious and open about hospitals that you couldn’t quite understand but you appreciated.

 

You pressed the button for the first floor as you stepped into the elevator, letting the pull to the ground relax you on your way out. Your blood froze as your eyes locked onto a jean jacket and a black beany. _What?_ Trying to control your breathing, you swiftly sauntered out of the elevator and directly to your left, taking cover behind a wall. _There’s no way, it isn’t possible._ You were sure you had covered your tracks enough. Suddenly, he moved in your direction, but there was no way to go but up on an open staircase. You didn’t hesitate to move towards the first step. Your legs propelled themselves quickly but not fast enough to draw alarm. You heard footsteps right behind you. _Shit._ You hastily moved up the steps and jumped into the first room you saw, a bathroom thank goodness. Throwing yourself through the door, heart racing, your fingers fumbled over the lock before you heard the click as it sank into place.

 

Backing up, you leaned your body against the wall, taking a few breaths. _Okay, calm down. You’re safe now._ Your hand moved to stop over your heart to find it still racing. Closing your eyes, you controlled your breathing and brought your pulse down. You stayed in there a few minutes longer than necessary as you peeked around the corner with the man to be found no longer.

 

Letting the bathroom door close behind you, you nearly sprinted down the staircase and out to the parking garage across the street. _Connor put your car on the second level, spot 26._ You didn’t wait as you burst through another set of stairs and on up to the orange level. It was relatively close to the door you flew out of and you drew your keys briskly, tapping the unlock button and chucking the door open. Shutting it with an audible echo, you hit the lock button as if your life depended on it.

 

You took a few breaths and smoothed your hair, _it couldn’t possibly be him, could it?_

                                                                

                                                               ♢♢♢

 

“He’s locked up, probably going to be disassembled.” Hank walked with you out of interrogation block and back to your desk.

 

“Why disassembled? Shouldn’t we give him a second chance like we give most criminals around here?” You sat down at your desk and held your chin.

 

“The rules are different for androids.” He shrugged and scooted closer to the computer screen.

 

“They shouldn’t be.” You swiveled around to pull up some files when Connor waltzed around the corner.

 

“What shouldn’t be, Officer?” He set some coffee down on Hank’s desk and Hank picked up, tilting his salute at him.

 

“That android, it shouldn’t be disassembled. We haven’t even given him a chance to fix his mistakes, immediately determining him a fall risk and shutting him down. We don’t do that with our other criminals, why just with androids?”

 

Connor’s LED moved to yellow as he thought about your statement, observing how passionate you seemed about the topic. He also found you shared information with him willingly, instead of aiming for your classical answer of, _nothing, or fine_. He felt that you trusted him more and more every time you spoke. He was making progress, getting closer to accomplishing his mission.

 

Hank looked at the android lost for words, wondering why he hadn’t responded yet. Then became more intrigued as time passed, if he wasn’t conflicted about the question, he would have answered by now. _Hmm._

 

“The justice system has set standards and codes for the safety of humans and the upbringing of an-”

 

“I know, Connor. I just don’t think it’s fair.” You ran your hands through your hair and turned your attention back to the computer screen.

 

Connor’s LED moved to red and his head cocked as if he was going to add something to the conversation, his lips slightly parted, but he opted not to. He felt as if the conversation died the moment the two of you broke eye contact, that this mysterious energy he could sense through your gaze kept the two of you in this sphere where you could connect and talk but it was gone. He felt a little empty to be honest, like a book without an ending.

 

Hank took in the android’s behavior and squinted at him looking at you. “Connor.”

 

Connor turned his attention to Lieutenant Anderson. “Yes, Lieutenant.”

 

“Are you alright?”

 

His LED moved down to yellow. “Yes,” then blue. “I’m okay.”

 

“Whatever you say, Connor.”

 

Connor stood stunned into silence. What is going on with the humans?

 

                                                             ♢♢♢

 

Connor sat on the couch with Lieutenant Anderson, patiently waiting for you to arrive at the house of the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant sat watching the television with replays of what he learned to be a gaming show called “Family Feud.” He was lost at the prospect of there being a feud, more like just a temporary opposition, like opponents have in a game. These families clearly do not know each other and have not met before being on this show so it is not possible for there to be a feud.

 

“Neck! Neck, Alyssa, neck! Goddamnit! Why would she say brain?” Lieutenant Anderson threw up his arms in exasperation.

 

“Lieutenant, how can there be a feud? These families have no qualms with each other.” Connor turned his head sideways and moved his eyes to the side as he thought and then back at the Lieutenant.

 

“I don’t know and to be completely honest, I do not care. Now, shut up, I want to hear this.” Lieutenant waved at him. Connor did not understand this gesture either, but he did understand shut up, so he moved from the couch to the kitchen table where Sumo sat, curled into a little ball of warmth.

 

“Hello, Sumo.” Connor sat on the floor and reached his arm out to pet him. Sumo didn’t purr like a cat did, but his tail started wagging and that was enough indication that Sumo appreciated what he was doing. A smile formed on Connor’s face, happy that he could bring some comfort to the dog in front of him.

 

“Connor, get back in here!” Lieutenant Anderson’s voice rang from the sofa even though Connor was only a few steps behind him.

 

“Coming, Lieutenant.” He gave Sumo one last pat on the head before moving to rejoin the Lieutenant.

 

“And for God sakes, call me Hank. The whole Lieutenant thing gets on my nerves.”

 

“Sure thing,” Connor sat back on the couch. “Hank.” He smiled at the Lieutenant.

 

Hank watched Connor, “What’s going on with you and Officer (y/l/n)?” Connor’s LED flashed yellow. _Ha!_

 

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about, Hank.” Connor’s eyebrows scrunched up and his eyes shifted again.

 

“I’ve seen the way the light on your forehead changes whenever someone mentions her and I’ve seen the way you look at her. Is there something going on between you two?”

 

Connor was not positive what he meant by something going on, but he came to the conclusion - by Hank’s previous descriptions - that he was referring to something romantically inclined.

 

“Hank, are you implying that me and Officer (y/l/n) are romantically interested in each other?”

 

Hank coughed a bit and looked away. “In a very _indirect_ way, yes.”

 

“Oh.” Connor moved his head towards the television screen and played back the time he spent with you. If he pinpointed the way he felt in those moments, then maybe it was so. Maybe he did take an interest with you in that way. He did want to be around you whenever he could, if you went into a dangerous situation alone, he wanted to be there, to protect you, and when you did not open up to him, it affected him greatly. He wanted you to trust him and the fact that you did not still nagged him, eating at the back of his mind.

 

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [A9 DEVIANT]~~

 

“Well? Do you? Connor, it is okay if you do, she’s fantastic.”

 

“Hank, I’m not sure what I’m feeling. I’m not supposed to be able to feel anything.” Connor's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

 

“It’s okay, son.” Hank clapped Connor on the back of the shoulder. “We’ve all been through it at some point in our lives.”

 

Connor was still searching for some logical answer to the emotions running through his head but he found none. Deviants felt the same things, their actions becoming irrational as a result of emulating emotions. His actions could not be irrational, could they be?

 

Sumo started barking, moving to the door and wagging his tail fondly. “What is it, Sumo?” Hank called moving from the couch. There was a knock at the door and Connor’s thirium pump speed up noticeably. Connor put a hand over where his mechanical heart lay, feeling it beat irregularly fast.

 

“(y/n), come in.” Hank opened the door wider to give you more room to walk in. Sumo launched himself at your legs and you bent down to rub him on the head. “Hey there, little man.” Sumo stuck his tongue out and rubbed his head against your bent knee.

 

Connor watched this whole exchange staring at your face, LED yellow, and a small grin lifting up the corner of his mouth.

 

~~Software Instability ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [rA9 DEVIANT]~~

 

[Path Unlocked]

 

“Hello, Officer.” 

 

You looked up from Sumo, to see him smiling. You weren’t sure why, maybe something Hank said earlier, but you created a smirk that mirrored his own. “Hi, Connor.”

 

                                                                        ♢♢♢

 

Hank wanted to get the whole gang together to celebrate a job well done and to just have a night where the three of you could relax and talk together. After Connor spent a couple hours watching you and Hank down some beverages and speak out answers to that gaming programming, his mind drifted to Larkyn Cavallion and the way you evaded some of the questions he had asked that night he escorted you to your apartment. He did not want to pry but if he was going to accomplish his mission, he needed answers and that is what he was going to get.

 

“Officer (y/l/n), may I ask you a question?” He followed you to the kitchen on the way to refill the chip bowl.

 

“Sure.” You poured the chips into the bowl, the plastic of the bag crinkling as you shook it.

 

“Why were you giving me curt answers the last time I came to your apartment?”

 

You looked at him and narrowed your eyes,  _ what was he getting at? _ “Because they didn’t need that long of a response.”

 

“What about ‘Larkyn Cavallion’?” 

 

At this name you froze, eyes wide, stance stoic. Your eyes widened further but you didn’t answer him, only moved away from his position to the couch to put the bowl down.

 

“Officer, what’s wrong?” 

 

“Connor, I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

 

“When do you want to? Something is bothering you and I want to help.”

 

“What if you can’t?!” Even Hank looked up at the both of you. Your gaze slowly moved towards him and his LED jumped to yellow as he saw the terror in your eyes. “What if you can’t help me, huh, Connor?”

 

“I didn’t mean to upset you -”

 

“No.” You tried to control your breathing. “This is not your fault.” You sighed. “I’ve been going through this thing for a long time and I -” You took a breath and felt the silence in the room weighing heavily on you like a pressure weighing on your shoulders.

 

You turned to Hank, “Thank you for the hospitality, Hank, but I think I should go.” You set the chip bowl down and grabbed your coat off the rack. You didn’t utter a word to Connor as you hustled your way out the door, patting Sumo on the head before you swung the door open. The door closed firmly behind you and Connor could not help but feel as if this was all his fault.

 

“What the hell was that about?” Hank turned to Connor who was still staring at the door. 

 

“I don’t know. I was just asking a question.” Connor trailed off, trying to process what went wrong.

 

“Well, it pissed her off.” Hank watched Connor stuck in a daze. “What are you standing there for? Go after her.” He waved at the door.

 

“I don’t know what to do, Hank.” He looked at him with the eyes of a puppy dog. 

 

“Connor, just talk to her. Ask the things she’s uncomfortable about, ask the things you’ve been itching to know about her. If you’re ever going to make a breakthrough, it’s now.”

 

Connor still stood there.

 

“Move your ass, Connor.” Hank gave him a push, it was enough to make him stumble forward. 

 

That was all Connor needed as he took off into the pouring rain.

 

                                                                               ♢♢♢

 

Your doorbell rang, but you sat on your sofa, watching the rain bead its way down the glass. To be frank, you didn’t feel like conversing right now, Connor’s questions opened up enough anxiety within you. Maybe it was time to leave again, maybe it was time for a fresh start, a clean slate. You rarely stayed in one place for longer than six months, it was what you had promised yourself in order to survive, in order to get a chance to live by your rules. 

 

The buzzer sounded again.

 

The irritation in your veins started to boil over,  _ why won’t they just go away? _ You didn’t answer the door for strangers, another part of moving frequently.

 

“Officer (y/l/n), I came to talk with you. I apologize for my behavior earlier, can we discuss it?” 

 

Now you were really irritated. The last person you wanted to see right now was standing right outside your door. It wasn’t really the questions that upset you, it was how close he was to connecting the dots that teed you off. You’d worked so hard to maintain a low profile and Connor almost shot it to pieces with a few simple inquiries. 

 

You sat for a second longer before pushing yourself off of the couch and looking through the peephole to make sure it was Connor. No matter how much you told yourself you wanted to run away, it was time to stop running, it was time to face the music, and that started with telling Connor the truth.

 

You took a deep breath and opened the door. His warm chocolate eyes greeted you, hair a bit disheveled from the rain, with a concerned look in his eyes, LED a buzzing yellow.

 

“Come in.” You opened the door wider.

 

Connor stepped in, immediately turning to you, his mouth moving a thousand miles a minute. “Officer (y/l/n), I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset, I took notice that you’ve been acting a bit strange. You’ve been on edge and evasive whenever I asked about what happened in the house when we were trying to catch the deviant, the name under your lease - which I discovered on accident -, and the way you furnish and decorate your living space. I want you to trust me. I want -”

 

You held up a hand to stop him from continuing. “It’s (y/n).”

 

He looked at you confused and jerked his head forward a little. 

 

“My name. It’s (y/n). You don’t have to call me Officer (y/l/n) all the time, it seems a bit formal.”

 

Oh. 

 

“(y/n),” He tested the name out. It was a beautiful name, but he was getting distracted and that was not the purpose of his visit.

 

“Do you want to sit?” You walked into the living room and he followed closely, eager to get the heart of what he came to talk about.

 

“(y/n), I -”

 

“I had an abusive boyfriend, well almost abusive, but very controlling.” You broke out, better to get to what he wanted to know - more like what he was going to figure out. “The alias, Larkyn Cavallion, was one I took on so that way he wouldn’t find me, it’s pretty far from my actual name.”

 

Connor’s LED turned a furious red as images played through his head of a previous boyfriend even thinking of doing even close to harmful things to you. His skin was on fire and he felt flames in his eyes. No one would ever be able to do that to you as long as he were around, he would assure that.

 

“I’ve been on the run for about five years, trying to escape him, and evade the chance that he might find me again.” You sat with your hands folded. Your voice was emotionless, but you felt a tidal wave of emotion flowing within you. 

 

It felt as if you were free falling, all these memories you’ve tried to suppress finally breaking away from you and this invisible pressure lifting, but you were still falling. You were falling with no guarantee that something would catch you when the ground came into view, nor any certainty that this wouldn’t end in flame and ash. It was a leap of faith in the literal sense and you had to put your trust in Connor, an android, and believe that he wouldn’t spread this information like wildfire, but something inside you told you he wouldn’t.

 

You spared him a glance and couldn’t take the fire you saw in his orbs, so you looked beyond him. “The day I got away from him, I remember feeling something inside me break, like there was this fog that I was so obscured by that I couldn’t even see what was happening to me, like what was  _ really _ happening. It felt as if it cleared and suddenly my brain started replaying all our conversations and moments, seeing them in a new light. I don’t know what brought on that wake-up call, but it hit and I knew it didn’t matter how or by what means I used to get out, I just needed to go.” Your hands started shaking and you took a deep breath to steady your voice so it wouldn’t shake.

 

“I stopped thinking about our entire relationship, I stopped wondering where I went wrong and how I didn’t see it earlier, I stopped pondering why I had let it go this far, I shut it all down. I had to. I grabbed all the cash I had, a couple pairs of clothes, a hat, and my coat and took off.

 

“He would be home at 3:45, it was 3:35 when I left. I had ten minutes to get as far away from that house as I could. So I ran, I ran through the pouring rain, ran through the tears, ran from that abusive, toxic person, and ran to a new life. 

 

“I cut through the woods, but I forgot he would definitely see my footprints and a little while later I heard his truck. I went thirty minutes out of my way, creating a false trail with my shoes so that I could work my way onto a road and start stepping on leaves so that he couldn’t see the outline of my boots in the dirt. When I turned directions and looked behind me, the rain had been coming down so hard, my footprints were barely visible. I knew I had a chance, so I took off for the bus station. 

 

“I hopped the first one I saw, bought a ticket to go literally anywhere, and as the bus pulled out of the station, I knew,  _ I knew _ , that if there had not been a torrential downpour that day, he would have easily found me and dragged me back. 

 

“The rain,” you paused, smiling at how significant something most people think is so little is for you. “The rain saved my life. The rain saved me from more years of emotional torture and abuse. The rain gave me a chance to live again.” You stopped, looking at Connor watching you with something soft in his gaze. He got up from the armchair and sat right next to you, waiting for you to continue.

 

“Since then, I’ve never lived in a place more than six months, I put a false name of the lease, I get a new license plate everytime my birthday comes around, I never make friends because I don’t want to leave any indication that I was around. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to become invisible.” Your eyes turned down towards your hands again, but Connor put his on top of yours, giving it a slight comforting, squeeze, just to let you know that he cared.

 

“Afterwards, I went through so many emotions, I couldn’t even tell you all of them, I just remember being hyper-aware of everything, all of my surroundings, all the time. I felt like I had to out of fear of him coming back. So now, I’m here, sitting with you, talking about this, for the first time in five years.” You finally looked at him again and saw his LED soften to blue.

 

“I’m not equipped with comforting people, but I do know that I’m very glad you were able to leave him and that you were able to live life as you should be able to. I understand why you acted the way that you did and I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. I was attempting to try to help, but perhaps it wasn’t the right way of approaching it. I just wanted you to be able to talk to me and feel like you can rely on me.” Connor watched a smile break out on your face.

 

“Well, you got your wish.” You stared at him just as intently as he was staring at you. Connor felt his heart rate speed up again and his cheeks start to flush a bright blue, he had an urge to lean in and kiss you, but he shoved it down. He decided you didn’t need that right now, especially with all you’ve experienced, right now, you could probably use a good meal.

 

“(y/n)? Would you like me to make you something?” Connor watched your eyes light up, correct answer.

 

“That would be wonderful, Connor.” Connor got up to proceed to the kitchen, but you tugged on his sleeve a bit. “Wait.” You pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, thank you for listening to me, Connor.” You wrapped your arms around him and felt him return the embrace. He was not good with emotions but he was getting better. Watching all that television helped him understand more about these displays of affection. He felt comforted and good having you in his arms, he felt like he was protecting you.

 

“I’ll be here anytime you need me.” He hummed in response, holding you a little tighter.

 

[Mission Accomplished]

 

[Next Task: Take (y/n) on a date]

 

Connor would definitely fulfill that goal, you could count on that. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not in anyway knowledgeable on the topic of abuse, this is just for creative purposes only. If you are struggling with abuse or in an emotionally toxic relationship, please call 1−800−799−7233 or go to https://www.thehotline.org/ if you have an electronic device that is not monitored. Please, please get help. You are not alone, you are never alone, please, please remember that. I love you guys and want to see you physically, emotionally, and psychologically healthy. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and rolling with me for three chapters of hot mess foolishness, I love you all and have a great day!


	4. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It took about three months for Connor to finally get a plan together for how you would spend your evening. You were patient, not wanting to rush your overwhelmed android. When you pulled up to the most dazzling building you’d ever seen, you knew it was well worth it._
> 
> Here we are ladies and gents. The ending date that you asked for, full of fluff and a sweet hallmark ending. It only took three months, :p Enjoy!

It took about three months for Connor to finally get a plan together for how you would spend your evening. You were patient, not wanting to rush your overwhelmed android. When you pulled up to the most dazzling building you’d ever seen, you knew it was well worth it.   
  
“Connor, this is beautiful.” Your gaze wandered to the high rise building; its glass windows letting light spill into the frosted streets below.   
  
His indicator blinked a warm amber as he closed the open door behind you. Joining you on the sidewalk, he held out his arm, watching you with a joyous curiosity. “I am aware the colors are a bit intense -- it is a casino -- but I found that the internet reported the best views rest upon the 16th floor.” His eyes became glued to the snowflakes collecting in your hair, each flake painting you more beautifully than the next.   
  
As you took in the array of colors fighting for your attention, you were only faintly able to respond a word of amazement, “Wow”.   
  
Connor was confused by your response. He’d never been on a date in his short life and was not accustomed to your wonder and astonishment. Every second you didn’t respond, his movements became less frequent.  _ Does she like it? Did I pick an adequate place to dine? She doesn’t think it’s suitable. I should have asked first. _ He drew no breath but felt as if his heart stopped in his chest.   
  
He swallowed. “Is it to your liking?” His orbs bore into the side of your face. His thoughts moving a mile a minute.   
  
“This is great, Connor -- actually, it’s wonderful.” His indicator flipped a pleasant blue hue, the pressure in his chest gone. As your arm lain in his, he straightened up, a new found confidence energizing him.   
  
“Please,” He gestured forward with a flourish. “Let’s go inside.” He took a few steps forward and you swore you saw him skip. The lights in the building seemed to grow brighter with every step, the sound of a bass drum grew to a crescendo.  A giggle escaped your throat, Connor’s giddiness a welcome distraction from the increase in your heart rate.   
  
                                                                   ♢♢♢

  
“Here you are, ma’am, sir.” Your footsteps faltered. The table was only a few feet from a glass window overlooking the Detroit River and you lost your breath for the second time today. It took a few beats before you moved again, flashing a smile to hopefully cover your awkwardness.    
  
Connor moved to intercept you before you could make an attempt to grab a chair. His hands drew the chair back with a few bumps and a bit too quickly -- he almost fell over -- but you were thankful nonetheless. You verbally expressed your gratitude as you plopped down in the chair a bit too hard.   
  
The waiter bit the side of his cheek as he watched the two of you fumble around each other. His smile was all too warm as he inquired what he could bring the two of you for drinks. Connor insisted on some wine, but you had preferred a water instead. Your nerves were already shot, why make it worse with a liquid known for taking control of what you verbally expressed. Having a filter made the chances of making a fool of yourself astronomically lower. Add alcohol, on the other hand, and those chances rose exponentially.   
  
Connor observed a dull glint take over your eyes. It happened less often now, but it still worried him nonetheless. He wanted you present, here, with him. He understood more and more that humans needed time to reflect, watching Hank rubbing his thumb absentmindedly over a photograph of Cole numerous times showed him that, but he wanted you to enjoy your time. He wanted you to be happy and “in the moment” as humans called it.   
  
His hand slid over the table tentatively, gliding over the silk tablecloth. “Hey.” His fingers laced with yours, your slightly cold hand taken in his larger, slightly warm one. “Is something bothering you? Would you like to discuss it?”   
  
Your eyes returned to their naturally brightened state. “N-No! Everything’s great. I just-” You sighed, your shoulders sagging. “I just don’t want to make a fool of myself. You’ve arranged a table at this beautiful restaurant and I feel out of my element here.” Connor frowned, his other hand searching for your free one. “I just don’t want to embarrass you; I want this night to be special for us, a chance for us to really go out and have a good time -- like a normal couple.”   
  
Connor watched you slide your fingers over the table, your hands touched before he held yours with a firm determination. “You can never embarrass me. You are  _ perfect _ . Every night and day we spend together is incredibly special to me, (y/n). I want to express my gratitude and affection in a way that you are accustomed to. I never wished to make you feel “out of your element”.   
  
You giggled as you knew his repetition of your phrase meant that he did not truly understand what you meant. Although you laughed, you were touched by his caring, kind words. His eyes softened and widened in concern. It took you a minute before you could respond, almost moved to tears by his genuine worry.   
  
“Connor,” You sniffed, eyes becoming glassy. “You’re too good for me.” You moved your hand to brush his cheek, letting it rest where his face widened the most. His eyelids fluttered shut, finding solace in your tender display. A shiver he wasn’t aware he was capable of flew through his system.   
  
His head moved to press a kiss into your palm, his lips searing their subtle warmth into your skin. Curving his lips upward, he wrapped his hand around yours. “It’s me that is the lucky one. Officer (y/l/n).”   
  
Your heart melted. It lay in a puddle in the bottom of your stomach.   
  
Someone cleared their throat behind you and your moment ended. You turned to find your waiter had returned with your water, his face red as a tomato.   
  
“So,” He flipped open his notepad. “Do you have an entree picked out, or should I give you more time?”   
  
You turned back over to Connor, his smile mirroring your own. “I think we’re ready.”

  
                                                               ♢♢♢   
  
“Connor!” You wobbled yet again. “Connor! Don’t you dare let me go.” Connor skated effortlessly in front of you. His hands captured your own as he moved backward on the ice, holding you steady as you tried to get the hang of how to move your skates and keep your balance.  _ Why does anyone find this entertaining? I can barely keep myself upright on a normal day, how do people expect me to do it on a tiny piece of a blade?  _ __  
__  
“Don’t worry, (y/n),” He cooed with a grin on his face. “I won’t let you fall.”    
  
Snow fell in blankets around you, littering the skating rink in mounds of tiny hazards -- all of which were determined to see you end up face first on the ice. Your skate caught a patch of chunked ice and you buckled, unable to keep your balance.    
  
Connor reacted so fast, you barely registered what happened. You felt a hand around your waist and found yourself caught between a hand around your back and Connor’s chest. You heard his thirium pump running a mile a minute.    
  
His hand gently rested around your arm. Pulling back he tilted his head down to gaze into your eyes. “Are you alright?”    
  
Between your bodies close proximity and the fact that your lips were inches away from each other, it took you several, delayed seconds before your brain could formulate a response. “Yeah,” You breathed, a short puff of condensed air following your reply. “Yeah, I’m fine.”   
  
Connor did not make any move to back away from you, instead, his arm around your waist tightened slightly. Your heart beat fast enough to make you wonder if you were going into cardiac arrest. Angling his chin a bit lower, his gaze flashed to your lips before coming back to look you in the eyes, almost as if he were asking permission. You leaned a bit closer, hopefully giving the green light.   
  
His lips were smoother than you expected and soft -- really soft. He eagerly caught your own lips in his, pulling you closer -- if that we even possible. You were thankful for his tightened grip, your legs were now jello and there was not a doubt in your mind that you would have been face first on the ice.    
  
The kiss was smooth and soft, a testing of the waters. Then, it grew fervent and a bit more intense. The rate of which his lips crossed yours increased and they parted, trying to catch your top lip between his. His pace was quick and passionate, but not forceful. You welcomed the contrast.    
  
You wrapped your arms around him, letting your fingers explore his hair, combing the little strands near the nape of his neck. A small moan of bliss escaped him as your fingers moved into his dark locks. A grin broke out of you, interrupting your moment. It gave you a chance to breathe, a chance you hadn’t realized you needed until you felt the rapid rises and falls of your chest.    
  
You pressed your forehead to his, keeping your eyes closed. You wanted to keep this moment frozen in time forever. It was a moment you’d been waiting for from the second Connor had asked to “court” you. Connor wanted this just as bad as you did. He smiled, aware of your increased heart rate and irregular breathing patterns.   
  
“Was this an appropriate way to display my affections?” Connor waited to open his eyes until a few seconds had passed. He wanted a small fraction of time to relish what he had done and to appreciate how close you were to him. Your body heat bled into his skin as your breaths warmed his nose and your fingers left a comforting heat at the base of his neck.   
  
Your eyes were as sweet as honey as you looked at him. Connor’s thirium pump sped up. “This was a  __ very appropriate way to show your affections. Although, you forgot one thing.”    
  
Connor’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, the smile still present on his face. “What did I miss?”   
  
“Maybe if you kiss me again, I might remember.” You smiled at him. A sly grin captured his features.   
  
One of his hands moved to the side of your face, guiding your lips to his. “It might take a while to remember.” His mouth hovered over yours.   
  
“I’m in no rush.” You closed the gap. 

 

                                                                       ♢♢♢   
  
After several kisses, you still failed to remember what you “forgot”.    
  
_ Opps. _   
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to add this part, school is hectic! I finally got some time to write this over Thanksgiving break. I know it is a lot shorter than the other parts, but hopefully, it satisfies the demand for a final part. Thanks for your support for this little mini-series!


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